Ki-96

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Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
Ki-96
ki-96.png
GarageImage Ki-96.jpg
ArtImage Ki-96.png
Ki-96
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Description

The Ki-96 was a twin-engined heavy fighter developed by Kawasaki as a private venture in 1942 after the success of their Ki-45 line. Like the Ki-45, it was a two-seat, twin-engined fighter with larger and more powerful Ha-112 radial engines to replace the Ki-45's Ha-104 engines. However, as the Japanese Army showed interest in the plane, they requested the plane as a single-seat interceptor, which resulted in two of the three prototypes being built with a smaller cockpit canopy, leaving the first with a two-seat-sized canopy for a single seat. The Ki-96 demonstrated excellent performance and handling, exceeding the estimates, but the Army changed its requirements back to a two-seat fighter, so the project was cancelled. The wings and tail unit of the Ki-96 were used for the Ki-102 two-seat fighter. The Ki-96 was armed with one 37 mm Ho-203 cannon and two 20 mm Ho-5 cannons mounted in its nose.

The Ki-96 was introduced in Update 1.35. Based on the latter 2 prototypes (most likely No.3), it has a smaller single-seat canopy, the Ki-96 is beyond what the Army initially requested. A twin-engine single-seat interceptor-fighter with great performance and handling, it will perform its role of interceptor to its full potential in tearing apart bombers from oblique angles, and outfighting enemy fighters in Boom-N-Zoom tactics. While it's a twin-engine aircraft, it's deceivingly agile and will be capable of dogfighting with single-engine aircraft. One last thing to note is while the armament packs a punch, ammunition is relatively scarce and should be used sparingly with trigger discipline.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 5 000 m600 km/h
Turn time24 s
Max altitude10 000 m
Engine2 х Nakajima Ha-112
TypeRadial
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight6 t

The Ki-96 is a generally smooth flyer and is characterized by its powerful armament, high speed, high climb rate, interceptor spawn and relatively good turn rate. All of these traits make for a solid interceptor that can shred through bombers like a hot katana through wet bamboo.

Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 5,000 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 568 553 10000 25.3 25.7 14.5 14.5 380
Upgraded 634 600 23.7 24.0 30.9 19.5

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
762 310 437 408 260 ~9 ~8
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 360 < 400 < 400 > 296

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear310 km/h
  • 12 mm steel plating in the nose
  • 16 mm steel plating behind the pilot
  • Critical components located at the front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
  • Self-sealing fuel tanks in the wings

For a Japanese plane, the Ki-96 has a decent survivability, with armour plate protecting pilot from head-on and tailing attacks, thought one should never rely on it as the Ki-96 lacks a bulletproof glass and therefore is vulnerable to pilot sniping.

As with any other Japanese plane, the Ki-96 is volatile and will catch fire very easily. But, unlike any other Japanese fighters, the Ki-96 is able to survive a fire damage by turning off its engine and let its effective self-sealing fuel tanks do its job.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB1 419 Sl icon.png
RB4 569 Sl icon.png
SB2 332 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts165 000 Sl icon.png
Aces590 Ge icon.png
Research Aces710 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 80 / 220 / 350 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 148 / 148 / 148 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Mods metanol.png
Engine injection
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Mods ammo.png
ho5_belt_pack
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
ho5_new_gun
Mods weapon.png
ho203_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Ammunition25 rounds
Fire rate300 shots/min
Weapon 22 x 20 mm Ho-5 cannon
Ammunition400 rounds
Fire rate948 shots/min

The Ki-96 is armed with:

  • 1 x 37 mm Ho-203 cannon, nose-mounted (25 rpg)
  • 2 x 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, chin-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)

The Ki-96 is equipped with one 37 mm Ho-203 cannon and two 20 mm Ho-5 cannons mounted in its nose. The 37 mm gun has poor muzzle velocity and ammunition count, but a high rate of fire for its calibre and devastating damage output. While the 20 mm guns have a lesser damage output, they have a greater accuracy and ammunition count. Due to different gun characteristics, weapon selection should comes in handy, as you can choose between two set of guns for different situations. Use the 37 mm against slow or big targets like bombers to quickly finish them off, while the 20 mm are more useful against fast opponents and in a dogfight.

Usage in battles

One should fly the Ki-96 in its stated role: interceptor. When engaging bombers, be sure to approach from oblique angles and never tail one, as you have no bulletproof glass to protect your pilot from snipes. While bombers with good aim can snipe you, you can do the same to their plane in seconds when you land your devastating 37 mm cannon and 20 mm cannon shots. If all you encounter are fighters, it can make for a decent Boom-&-Zoom aircraft with its good speed, climb rate, and armament. It is good at turn-fighting as well and perhaps even one of its key strengths but should only be considered by experienced players because of its vulnerability, slow roll speed, and large wing span together with its low and heavy ammo. With these in mind, always try to engage fighters with an energy advantage, although be careful as the Ki-96's roll rate heavily stiffens above 643 km/h (400 mph), which makes it hard to control at high speeds.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer Pitch Radiator Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type
Not controllable Controllable
Auto control available
Controllable
Not auto controlled
Controllable
Not auto controlled
Separate Controllable
2 gears
Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Powerful offensive armament mounted in the centre of the plane
  • 37 mm gun has a good rate of fire for its calibre
  • Fast, quicker than most Japanese planes at the same rank
  • Turns well for a twin-engined fighter
  • High climb rate
  • Responsive elevator allows a quick snap turns
  • Can survive multiple fires with proper engine control
  • 360° cockpit view

Cons:

  • Wings are littered with fuel tanks
  • No bulletproof glass to protect the pilot
  • Flight characteristics still has some limitations:
  • Still outmanoeuvred and outsped by most single-engine fighters
  • Poor energy retention
  • Poor roll rate at all speed, especially above 640km/h
  • Cockpit visibility is hampered by a large amount of structural bars
  • 37 mm cannon has relatively low muzzle velocity

History

The Ki-96 was a twin-engined heavy fighter developed by Kawasaki Aeronautics in 1942 after the success of their Ki-45 line. Like the Ki-45, it was a two-seat, twin-engined fighter with larger and more powerful Ha-112 radial engines to replace the Ki-45's Ha-104 engines. It was intended to replace the "Toryu's" for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, but the Imperial Japanese Army Aviation Bureau insisted that it be converted to a single-seat fighter. The first prototype made retained the cockpit canopy intended for a two-seat fighter, and the next two prototypes were fitted with smaller canopies.

Despite showing performance exceeding estimates and having excellent handling, the Army's requirements had changed back to two-seat fighters, resulting in production and development on the Ki-96 being halted, with only three prototypes being made. However, the wings and tail unit would later go on to form the Ki-102 wings and tail.

Media

Skins

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the aircraft;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


Kawasaki Aircraft Industries (川崎航空機工業株式会社)
Biplane Fighters  Ki-10-I · Ki-10-I C · Ki-10-II · Ki-10-II C
Fighters  Ki-61-I ko · Ki-61-I otsu · Ki-61-I hei · Tada's Ki-61-I hei · Ki-61-I tei · Ki-61-II Otsu Kai
  Ki-100 · Ki-100-II
Interceptors  Ki-45 ko · Ki-45 otsu · Ki-45 hei · Ki-45 tei
  Ki-96
  Ki-102 otsu
  Ki-108 Kai
Bombers  Ki-32
  Ki-48-II otsu
Captured  ␗Ki-45 hei/tei · ␗Ki-61-I otsu · ▃Ki-61-Ib
See also  Kawasaki Shipyard Co.

Japan twin-engine fighters and strike aircraft
Navy 
Land-based Fighter 
J1N  J1N1
J5N  J5N1
Army 
Ki-45  Ki-45 ko · Ki-45 otsu · Ki-45 hei · Ki-45 tei
Ki-83  Ki-83
Ki-96  Ki-96
Ki-102  Ki-102 otsu
Ki-108  Ki-108 Kai
Ki-109  Ki-109

Japan premium aircraft
Fighters  Hagiri's A5M4 · A7He1 · Ki-27 otsu Tachiarai
  Ki-44-II otsu · ▅Bf 109 E-7 · ▅F4U-1A · Ki-100-II · Ki-44-I 34
  ▅Fw 190 A-5 · A7M1 (NK9H) · Tada's Ki-61-I hei · ▅P-51C-11-NT
  J2M4 Kai · A6M5 Ko · A6M6c · J2M5 · Ki-87 · J6K1
Twin-engine fighters  Ki-96
Jet fighters  F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · T-2 Early · F-4EJ ADTW
Bombers  Ki-21-I hei · Ki-48-II otsu · H8K3 · B7A2 (Homare 23) · ▅B-17E